The Way Home
by Kaiser Bonaparte
Summary: People have been disappearing on planet Selva for thousands of years; it's only natural for Allura to feel a bit nervous when she and the Red Paladin crash-land on the mysterious world. Trapped, unable to contact the Castle, and facing enemies the likes of which no one in the galaxy has ever seen before, Keith and Allura wonder if they will ever find their way home. KeithXAllura
1. Chapter 1

**The Way Home**

 **Chapter One**

"Allura! _Allura_!" Keith cried, shaking her shoulders. Her eyes fluttered and cracked open.

"Keith?" she murmured. "What happened?" Allura raised a slender hand to her bruised forehead and looked around the ruined shuttle cockpit. When she looked out the windshield, she only saw dark, upturned earth.

"The Galra caught up to us and shot us down." Keith replied bitterly. "We crashed on planet Selva."

"Selva?" Allura cried. "That's _way_ off of our original course!" She unbuckled the straps of the copilot's seat and started to climb up the now vertical floor of the cockpit.

"Allura, wait!" Keith called as he scrambled after her. Allura ignored him and pushed open the hatch.

Her sensitive ears popped as the pressure released and fresh, clean oxygen filled the cabin. The wet, earthy smell of a tropical forest mixed with the acrid stench of melted metal.

She climbed out of the ship and gazed around the sheltered canopy their ship had crashed through. The leaves were singed at the edges and a few rogue embers fluttered along the deep trench the vessel had carved.

Enormous trees stretched to the sky like pillars in a cathedral, blotting out sunlight with their flat leaves. In between, shorter trees tangled and twisted together. Vines dripped from their boughs like the tails of serpents.

When Keith came up beside Allura, the humidity clung to the exposed patches of his skin and collected on his breastplate in tiny droplets. He took his helmet off in an attempt to relieve himself of the oppressive heat, but to no avail.

"Can you get a transmission to the Castle?" the Red Paladin asked. A feeling like the mysterious energy that the Blue Lion gave off prickled in the back of his mind, only this feeling was much more ominous.

"I'll try," Allura said. Keith only half-listened to her as she spoke. His dark eyes roved over the wreckage of the shuttle, searching for a hope that it could be repaired. By the faint, guttering glow of the Balmera crystal shining beneath the hood of the vessel indicated otherwise.

Allura cried out in frustration.

"Nothing! They aren't answering!" she huffed.

"Maybe we should look for another ship." Keith offered. Allura's voice took on a more desperate tone.

"There's no time for that!" she nearly shouted. "We need to get off of this backwater world _now_!"

"Well, I don't see any way to do that at the moment." Keith replied sharply. "The Balmera crystal is broken and the ship is totaled. Why are you so excited to leave in the first place?"

Allura chewed her lip, her eyes wide in frustration.

"Everyone who's come to Selva…hasn't returned. Ever." she said, twiddling her fingers together uneasily. Keith was quiet for a moment, and Allura could see the gears turning behind his iron-grey eyes.

"Let's see if we can find someone around here with a ship." he said flatly. Then, he stuffed his helmet back onto his head and started walking.

As they walked, Allura's eyes adapted to the twilight dimness of the jungle and her skin adjusted itself to handle the humidity. Keith wasn't so lucky, and in less than half an hour, he was drenched in sweat.

"Doesn't this thing come with an air conditioner?" he complained, tugging at his collar.

"It _should_ be able to regulate your body temperature," Allura remarked. She stopped walking and went to him, tapping his gauntlet and pulling up a diagnostic. "It appears to have been damaged in the crash," the princess concluded. "If only I had the parts to replace it…sorry Keith."

"Guess I have to leave it," he replied. In a few moments, he had stripped down to the black T-shirt and jeans he wore underneath his armor. The relief on his sweaty face was visible as he tucked his Bayard and sword into his belt, then left his discarded armor behind him.

"Are you sure?" Allura asked. "You'll be more vulnerable like this," The Red Paladin only grunted and fingered the Galra sword slung at his hip.

They only stopped once, and that was to refill their canteens. Every birdcall or rustle in the bushes made the hair on the back of Allura's neck stand on end.

However, she was only _afraid_ of her surroundings when the sun set. The cries of birds rose in pitch and fervor until it sounded like screaming. Bloodcurdling howls echoed between the trees, guttural bellows resounded from above, and many far stranger calls rippled through the air.

Keith felt the rising uneasiness as well, and was grateful when Allura stepped closer to him for reassurance.

"I think I'm starting to realize why no one ever comes back," he whispered as a pair of glowing eyes flickered in and out of the foliage. Another scream sounded from the right, closer than before. He grabbed his Bayard in one hand and his Galra blade in the other. Allura held a gun.

But none of those weapons could have prepared them for what came next.


	2. Chapter 2

Something lunged out of the darkness, a manlike creature with purple hair and yellow eyes. A Galra.

Keith yelled and swung at it, but it disappeared into the dark jungle as if it were one of Haggar's apparitions. Then, something snaked around his ankle and jerked him sideways.

The Red Paladin toppled to the ground before the thing around his foot started dragging him into the underbrush.

"Allura!" he screamed.

"Keith!" the Altean screamed back. She lunged forward and caught his arm. With her incredible, inhuman strength, she pulled him free and yanked him to his feet.

"Thanks," he gasped.

High, chittering laughter circled around them, fading out into maniacal shrieks and wails. Allura fired her small blaster pistol into the night, only earning more laughter.

Keith pressed his back to Allura's and pointed his blades in front of him.

"Who are you?" he barked.

" _Wouldn't you like to know_ ," a voice whispered, right in his ear. He startled backwards, searching for a person he couldn't see. Allura let out a quick scream as the baying of an Altean wormhound sounded from at her feet. She could even hear the snap of its teeth biting at her ankles and the wet sloshing of its jowls.

She fired her weapon, but it met nothing.

" _We can show you such wonderful things,_ " the voices continued. Keith thought he felt fingertips trailing across his cheek, a mother's kiss against his forehead. Allura caught fleeting glimpses of an Altean in white and yellow armor between the trees. " _We can show you what you've lost. We can show you what you want. We can show you such wonderful things. Such wonderful, wonderful things._ "

"Such things…" Keith murmured, leaning towards the spectral person. A growl echoed through the trees, so deep and powerful it made his teeth buzz. Then, something flipped in his brain, an instinct more powerful than the desire luring him into a trance. He wanted to live more than he wanted his family.

"Allura, run!" he cried, reality slapping him in the face. He grabbed the Altean's hand in his and ran for his life, his long legs striking the ground in steady pentameter.

The forest erupted into mad cackling and shrieking, and Keith heard terrifyingly substantial footsteps behind him. Terror surged through his normally calm composure, and instead of the familiar thrill of battle, he wanted to break down and cry in fear.

Allura held his hand in a death grip, running beside him as some sort of predator gave chase behind. Her sharp eyes could see something big and black barreling through the bushes, accompanied by three pairs of bloody red eyes.

"Keith," she gasped. Her heart was trying to strangle her. "Keith, that thing chasing us is real! It's not an illusion!"

The Red Paladin gave no sign that he heard her. His head was filled with the laughter and chanting surrounding them.

" _Run, run little boy, run from the beast,_ " they sang. " _Or he'll catch you in his claws and teeth! He'll cut you to ribbons, rip out your heart,_ " More voices joined in the insane chorus. " _Don't think of stopping, boy, don't even start!_ "

"In here!" Allura shrieked, pulling Keith to the side and throwing him like a bocce ball into a chamber between several mighty tree roots.

She scrabbled in after him, clutching his arms to keep him close as they pushed themselves back into the tree.

A supple growl came from outside, and Keith let a rather unmanly squeak as several pairs of red eyes hovered over the entrance. Saliva dribbled from swollen jaws, and he could just barely see huge, translucent teeth that should have belonged to some sort of deep-sea fish.

Then, all at once, the tree snapped shut. Darkness closed around the pair, and the madness from outside dissolved into nearly nothing.

Soft, blue veins began to glow from within the trunk of the tree, and a sense of warm assurance and safety chased away the fear.

"T-this is a…a Maroalea tree," Allura explained. Her jaws were clacking together and her fingers were tightly clenched around Keith's shirt. "It's often…often referred to as a Sanctuary tree. I…I noticed them when we first arrived."

"A-a-and you had the sense t-t-to look for one?" he forced a laugh that sounded a panicked as the voices outside. He was trying to rein in the fear that had taken over every fiber of his body, but he wasn't succeeding. He tried drawing energy from the tree, and that seemed to ease the mania.

Allura nodded and clutched his shirt tighter. After a few minutes of silence, both members of Team Voltron began to relax.

"I know now why no one returns from here," the princess said finally. She had released her hold on the Red Paladin, but the tight confines did not give them room to separate. Allura found that she did not mind this. "If you hadn't pulled me out of that trance, the Beast would have caught me for sure."

Keith laughed, a short breath through his nose.

"I just didn't want to die," he admitted. "It's pathetic really; I care more about my own skin than the possibility of meeting my family."

Allura watched him for a moment, her eyes roaming his pale skin and tracing the lines of his dark hair. This close to him, she could almost count each individual eyelash.

"I thought you were very resourceful back there," Allura's lips turned up in a soft smile.

"Me? You were the one that saved our hides." Keith let his head rest against the damp earth beneath him. His eyelids were drooping with exhaustion as his sweat dried on his skin.

"Perhaps we both had a part to play," Allura mused, relaxing into the hollow of the Maroalea tree's roots. Keith closed his eyes and let the faint yammers and howls from outside disappear from his mind. His body visibly relaxed, lean muscle uncoiling and his carefully composed face going slack.

"Rest well," Allura softly wished before exhaustion took her as well.


	3. Chapter 3

When Keith awoke, he felt warmth saturating his body. Something silky and soft pressed against his cheek.

He carefully tilted his head and saw Allura cradled in his arms. Her face was buried in the crook of his neck and her body was perfectly molded against his. Keith went rigid, his breath catching in his chest, but he soon relaxed as he inhaled the intoxicating scent of her hair.

He had never been so close to someone before, let alone a _girl_. Especially not a girl as smart and as strong as Princess Allura of Altea.

However, just as he decided he didn't mind physical contact, Allura's eyes fluttered and she shifted in Keith's arms.

"Hmm?" she murmured. She looked up, their eyes met, and then she was jerking away from him with a blush in her cheeks. "K-Keith!" she cried. "Oh, quiznak, I'm sorry!"

Keith only grunted and tried to hide his disappointment. He sat up and dusted the damp soil from his back, then looked up. The Sanctuary tree had opened once more, allowing wan shafts of daylight to enter the small space.

The sounds of the forest had resumed, deceptively peaceful compared to the terrifying revelry of the night. Keith felt a shudder run through his body as he remembered the voices, the inconsolable fear that had consumed him, and the sounds of the Beast close behind him.

He gripped his weapons as he crawled out of their shelter. There was no sign of the Beast, not even an overturned stone.

"Are we…safe?" Allura asked as she pulled herself after the Red Paladin.

"I think so." Keith said. He turned and examined the Maroalea tree. Its bark was only slightly paler than the other trees. He wondered how Allura managed to spot one in the dark. "We need to keep going."

"Shouldn't we find some food and water, first?" Allura asked. "We could be stuck here for a while." She followed Keith as he started walking.

"How do we know what's safe and what isn't?" Keith queried.

"Well, if the other animals are eating it, then it's most likely not poisonous." the princess replied.

Keith looked uneasy, but was grateful when Allura spent about half an hour retrieving something that looked like a large mango. She pulled open the rind with her fingers and found clusters of blue seeds like a pomegranate.

The monkey she had stolen it from squawked at her angrily. Allura glared at it, shouting things like "Shoo!" and "Away with you!" It scampered away, chittering to its friends.

"Here you are, Keith," she said triumphantly, passing the Red Paladin a large chunk of alien fruit.

Keith looked at it suspiciously, but Allura had already taken an enormous bite. "This is amazing! Try it!" she cried, blue juice running down her chin.

Hesitantly, Keith plucked a juicy kernel from within the rind, and then put it in his mouth.

"Huh. Not bad," he shrugged. He waited for a few minutes to make sure that he hadn't ingested something toxic, then finished off the rest of his meal. He wouldn't admit it, but he felt much better with some food in his belly.

They continued through the humid rainforest for several hours, until the jungle gave way to tightly woven mangroves. Several inches—and later several feet—of murky water covered the ground and algae drifted on the surface.

"Keith, I don't like this," Allura said, finally acknowledging the twisted knot in her stomach.

"After everything we've already been through, you're afraid of a few monkeys?" Keith quipped, taking hold of a tree root. He held out a hand to Allura and pulled her out of the mud her legs had become lodged in.

"You're starting to sound like Lance," she scolded. Keith frowned, his pale forehead creasing.

"I am _not_." he growled. At that moment, his voice seemed too loud. He looked around and realized that the birds and simians in the trees had vanished.

"You two are more similar than you think," Allura argued, heedless of the sudden silence. "You're both—"

"Shh!" Keith held up a hand.

"Well it's _true_!" Allura cried.

"Allura, be quiet! I need to hear!" he hissed.

"Hear what? It's already…quiet." she trailed off. Her hand slowly went to her hip where her blaster was.

Then, something lunged out of the water and wrapped itself around Keith's torso, dragging him down with the weight of it. Perfectly disguised beneath the murky surface, a snake as thick as a sewer pipe had been waiting. It had expecting to catch a bird or a small monkey at best, but when a much larger and more satisfying meal had blundered into its hunting grounds, it couldn't pass up the opportunity.

"Keith!" Allura yelled as the Red Paladin disappeared. She fell forward, searching the murky water with both hands. The water roiled and gurgled beneath her fingers, but she couldn't find a trace of scaly skin.

Then, Keith stood up about three feet away, giving a labored gasp through the water streaming down his face. With his only free arm he clawed at his assailant in a desperate attempt to free himself.

Allura threw herself towards him and caught him, prying at the thick, muscular coils.

"Allura, help!" Keith choked. His charcoal eyes were wide as he desperately gasped for air. Saliva dribbled down his chin.

"I'm _trying_!" Allura cried.

Suddenly, a flat, triangular head rose out of the water, baring rows of short, jagged teeth and long white fangs.

"M-my sword! Allura, get my…get my sword!" Keith yelled. Before the princess could move, the serpent lashed forward and clamped its teeth down on Allura's arm.

She cried out and jammed her finger into its eye. It hissed and recoiled, but did not release Keith from its grip. Allura lunged and caught hold of the snake's mighty jaws, prying them open and wedging her elbow in its maw. Then, she reached for her belt to grab her blaster, but the creature had lost interest in Keith and decided to wrap itself around her instead.

Allura let out a yelp as it constricted around her waist and began to crush her. The air in her lungs was squeezed out of her and pain lanced up her body, but she had managed to keep a hold on her blaster. She ripped it out of her belt and stuffed it down the snake's exposed throat before firing a volley into its gaping maw. It gave a shriek and thrashed in the water, dislodging Allura's arm from its mouth.

But, before she went under with the serpent, Allura caught hold of one of its long white teeth. A cracking sound reached her ears before the water closed over her head.

In her hand, she felt the snake's fang wrapped in her fingers.

Mustering the last of her strength, she stabbed down into the coils binding her, piercing flesh over and over.

The creature released her and moved back several feet. Allura stood in the water and watched it turn and hiss at her.

She snarled back, wielding its missing tooth like Keith would his knife. Her chest heaved and her lungs burned as they took in oxygen. Her entire body ached; a bloody gash marred her forearm. Then, she realized something;

 _Keith! Where is he_?

Allura looked around for him, but couldn't see him. The serpent began to swim away, pursuing a meal that wouldn't fight back, but Allura didn't pay attention.

She plunged into the murky water, searching with both hands for the Red Paladin. Ignoring the pain in her body and the blood oozing into the water, she frantically sought any part of Keith that she could find.

Eventually, she had to come up for air.

Three times she returned to the surface, panic surging into her body with every breath.

What would she tell the paladins when she returned?

" _Oh, Keith? Well, we were attacked by this snake, but I saved him from being eaten…while also letting him drown in a mud hole. Sorry about that, guys! I'll be more careful next time_."

Just then, her fingers bumped something hard.

Lunging for the object, she found the hilt of Keith's sword still in his belt. She nearly swallowed water with sheer joy as she grabbed hold of his shirt and hoisted him up to the surface.

"Keith!" she gasped, clutching him close. His head fell limply against her shoulder, his lips parted and his eyes closed.

Allura adjusted her grip around his chest and hauled him up onto a small, muddy bank nearby. She laid him on his back and pressed her ear to his chest.

His heart wasn't beating.

 **A/N: =)**


	4. Chapter 4

Allura didn't think twice before acting. She placed both hands on his chest and pushed, watching his body convulse with each shove. She counted five compressions, then held his nose, tipped his jaw back and sealed her mouth over his, breathing air into his sodden lungs.

She did this a grand total of five times before a reaction was achieved.

Keith's eyes flew open and he rolled to the side hacking up water. Allura never thought she'd be so relieved to watch someone throw up.

She fell forward and threw her arms around his neck. He cried out in pain, and the Altean backed away.

"I'm sorry, did I do something wrong?" she asked frantically.

"My…ribs…" he rasped. "I think…they're broken."

Allura lifted his shirt up and let out a gasp. His torso was completely covered with purple and green bruises. She realized that giving him CPR didn't help his case in the slightest.

"I'm sorry," she apologized again. "I'm so, so sorry. I forgot that human bones were so brittle," She reached out and gently felt his sides. He gave a suppressed groan when she touched him, but she didn't recoil. She discovered that several of his ribs were—in fact—broken. Perhaps not severely, but enough to greatly inconvenience him.

She took Keith's sword from his belt and cut his shirt away from his body before tearing it into strips.

"This is going to hurt a bit," Allura said. She tried to ignore Keith's cries of pain as she tightly bandaged his chest to set the bones.

"A-Allura," Keith said hoarsely. "You're bleeding." He lifted a slender hand and took her wrist. Blood had stained her uniform an odd reddish-blue.

"It's nothing," Allura told him, pulling out of his grip. "The thing bit me, is all. Nothing to worry about."

"What if…what if it's poisonous?" the Red Paladin asked.

"Why would it need to be if it suffocates its prey?" Allura replied. She used the last scraps of Keith's shirt to bind the wound. "Can you stand? We need to find shelter before it gets dark."

As she stood, Allura saw the serpent's fang lying beside her. A grotesque sort of pride filled her chest, and she picked it up and put it in the holster where her missing blaster normally would have gone.

"I think so," Keith said, attempting to push himself to his elbows. He grunted and fell back into the mud, gasping in pain.

Allura bent to help him, but he pushed her away. "I can do this…myself." Keith growled. Though it took several painstaking minutes, he managed to get to his knees.

"We don't have time for this! We only have a few hours until nightfall," Allura sighed. She grabbed Keith's arm and lifted him to his feet, holding him around the waist.

Grudgingly, the Red Paladin allowed her to support him as they slogged through the muddy water. Though he would never admit it, he knew that he would never have made it through the mangrove forest without her help.

They encountered no more trouble, save for a few monkeys that decided it would be fun to yank on Allura's hair, a bird whose nest they had gotten too close to, and a rather large colony of fishing spiders the size of dinner plates.

As twilight began to settle, the ground grew more solid and the trees stretched higher into the air. Mosquitos grew more vicious and further slowed their already tedious progress.

The birdcalls began to change pitch just as Allura spotted a Sanctuary tree growing from a pool of water. The inside was damp and musty-smelling, and the inside was filled with about a foot of water and silt, but with the terrifying night closing in and Keith out of action, she wasn't going to complain.

"H-how do you tell these trees apart from the others?" Keith rasped as Allura gently leaned him against the inside of the tree.

"I look for their spirits." the princess said simply.

"What does that mean?" Keith grunted. The interior of the tree began to glow as the gaps between the roots closed up.

"Alteans are very sensitive to the life forces of other beings," Allura explained. She rested her weary body beside his and gazed up at the glowing patterns of the tree. A small spider weaved its web in a niche nearby. "Different species have different life-forces, some of them stronger than others."

"And that's how you sense which trees are Maroalea trees? Because they're different?"

"Because they're _sentient_ , Keith. Intelligent life forms always have stronger energy fields." Allura smiled. The Red Paladin frowned for a moment, as if in deep thought.

"Tell me something," he said. "When we first met, could you sense the Galra within me?"

When Allura looked at him, she saw his dark eyes boring into her. She held his gaze for a while, but then the coldness of his stare became too much to bear.

"No, because you aren't _completely_ Galra," she replied carefully. "I knew right off the bat that you were different than the other Paladins…and at first I found it intriguing. I wanted to get closer to you, to find out why you were special. And when I discovered that you were part Galra, I hated myself for even considering the thought."

Keith's stoic gaze turned sad and somewhat vulnerable. Allura had seen that particular expression once before, when she had first begun to ignore him, and to see it once more made her heart twist in her chest.

"But when I realized that _who_ you are is more important than _what_ you are…I decided that I loved you and the Paladins more than I hated the Galra." A blush crept into Allura's dirty face, one that she hoped the Red Paladin didn't see.

Unfortunately, nothing escaped those piercing carbon-grey eyes, and Keith silently noted how cute she looked when red in the face. He had always thought of her as pretty and yet somehow untouchable.

As he sat beside her, filthy and wounded, he felt closer to her than ever.

"Thank you," he told her earnestly. His hand sought hers a "gesture of thanks" (or so he told himself). The blush grew on her face and her eyes went wide for a moment as she felt his fingers wind themselves through her own. Then, she gave his hand a gentle squeeze.

A weary smile crossed his thin lips, and Allura found herself staring at them. She wondered what it would be like to kiss them…to push her fingers into his thick hair and hold him so tightly that they were closer to one entity than two.

Allura scolded herself for such thoughts and nearly ripped her hand away from Keith's.

"S-so, Keith," she squeaked. "Shouldn't the Red Lion have come for you by now?"

"I don't know," the Paladin said, suddenly looking worried. "I can't feel her presence anywhere nearby."

"That's odd…" Allura murmured. "Never mind," She shook her head to clear the troubling thoughts. "We should get some rest. I need you back on your feet as soon as possible."

Keith nodded tiredly, releasing Allura's hand as she moved away; he missed the contact the instant it was broken. He watched her as she carefully moved herself into a more comfortable position, upsetting a cloud of murk beneath her.

"Good night, Allura," he called softly.

"Good night, Keith," she replied, closing her gorgeous blue eyes. She was asleep within minutes, despite the uncomfortable circumstances.

Keith, however, wasn't so lucky.

 **A/N: Don't worry, not a cliffie. He's just not as good at sleeping as Allura. Will edit later to fix flow.  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here you go guys**. **Hoping to post two chapters today**.

Keith lay awake for a long time afterwards, the ache in his body refusing to grant him rest. Without Allura to distract him from the pain, what had only been unpleasant before had become something close to mortal agony. His breath came in shallow, labored gasps that hurt more with every moment.

He wasn't sure how long he laid there, but he knew he dozed off because Allura was suddenly leaning over him, looking worried.

"A-Allura," he slurred.

She reached out and touched the side of his face. His skin was deathly pale, and hot to the touch.

"You're burning up," she said with a frown. Keith let out a series of coughs in reply, and when he finished, blood dribbled from his lips. Allura stared at him for a long time, momentarily at loss for what to do. He needed help, but where would they find it on a world that no one returned from?

"I'm fine," Keith rasped, wiping his mouth on his arm.

"No you aren't," Allura scolded, scraping a strand of soft, white hair from her forehead. "You need medical attention, or you'll…" Her throat locked up as she spoke. Her vision blurred dangerously, and she had to choke back a sudden bout of tears.

"I'm _not_ gonna die," Keith said forcefully, reaching out and gripping her arm. His charcoal eyes locked on Allura's. "I promise you."

She laid her hand over his, grasping his fingers tightly.

"You should try to get some rest," he murmured. He knew that sleep would not come to him easily, but he wanted Allura to have the rest she deserved. She squeezed his hand once more, then lay down in the silty water before exhaustion claimed her.

(O)

Allura awoke to voices. Distant voices, but the sounds of people nonetheless.

She lifted her head to see if the night terrors had somehow invaded their sanctuary, but was met by warm spears of daylight.

"Keith," she hissed, touching his shoulder to wake him. His eyes fluttered weakly.

"Y-yeah?" he murmured.

"Stay here and remain quiet," she said. "We may have a fight on our hands." If the owners of those voices were anything like the rest of the denizens of Selva, they were hostile. And with Keith out of the action, it was up to Allura to protect them both.

She reached for the holster that contained her pistol, but found the dislodged tooth of the gigantic python. Gripping it like a dagger, she peered out of the Maroalea tree and scanned the foliage for her foes.

She saw them almost instantly, walking through the trees with long spears in their hands. They wore skins and leaves as clothes, but did not look like primitive Neanderthals. In fact, one of them appeared to be a Xackxite—a remarkably advanced species wiped out by the Galra.

Allura eased further out of her hiding place, her eyes wide. Who were they, if not natives? Why were they here?

"HELLO!"

Allura shrieked and staggered backward, falling into the water beside Keith. He spluttered as silt splashed in his face, raising an arm to wipe the muck out of his eyes.

When he finished, he saw a little round face peering at him from between the roots of the tree. It was a child with round black eyes, yellow markings on her skin, and no hair to speak of.

She turned and called out, "Pops! There are two more in here!" before she turned back to Keith and Allura.

"I didn't mean to scare you," she apologized. "But I suppose you're used to it by now. How long have you been on Selva?"

"T-three days," Allura said testily. She eased closer to Keith, her weapon raised. If the child proved to be untrustworthy, she wouldn't hesitate to defend herself and the Red Paladin to the death— _whose_ had yet to be determined.

"Three days!" the child's eyes went wide. "That's insane! Usually the Beast of Dark Spirits gets you during the first night! You guys must be pretty smart."

"Away, Anna, away," a deeper voice said. The child vanished and a new face appeared in the opening.

An old man with a thick beard and scars on his arms smiled at them, and Allura didn't feel quite as afraid anymore.

"Hello, Travelers," he said kindly. "You have been through much. Come, we can offer you food, rest and shelter from the Beast."

"My friend is hurt," Allura said carefully. The old man gave another smile, his warm blue eyes sparkling.

"Met the boa, didn't you," he said wryly. Keith snorted and looked away. "We will provide you with our finest healers and medical care. Come, you are safe now."

(O)

Allura refused to allow the strangers too close to Keith; she carried him on her back rather than trust him to the Selvan people.

In the party, there were many lifeforms from other worlds. Neemans, Alletropes, Moranites, Ridarians and humanoids alike traveled with them. The old man—known as Grandfather or "Pops" to the little ones—informed Allura that there were many others within the village, even peoples that had been enemies for millennia.

"Shared suffering brought us together," Grandfather said with another gentle smile. "And now we live in peace. The galaxy could learn a lot from our planet."

"I see," Allura mumbled. She entertained the thought of Zarkon being trapped on this world, attacked by shadows and snakes. She smiled and brushed the thought aside. "But we really have to get off of this world."

Grandfather sighed heavily.

"Sorry, miss, but there's no way off of Selva unless someone comes to get you. We've tried repairing crashed ships, but as soon as they reach the top of the atmosphere, they find themselves pointed back towards the planet's surface. It's almost as if there's some magical entity keeping us bound to the planet."

"There's got to be a way!" Allura cried.

"Have you got friends with big ships?" Grandfather arched a bushy eyebrow at the princess.

"Why yes," she said proudly. "None other than the Paladins of Voltron!"

"Then I wouldn't worry about staying too long," Grandfather said easily. "For now, enjoy yourself. We have good food and even better company.

After about an hour, they arrived at the edge of a deep canyon. A river frothed at the bottom, churning up mist that rose to the top of the rocks and hovered there.

"This is the sacred river of Selva," a woman told Allura. "It protects us from the Beast of Dark Spirits and provides our village with the water it needs."

"Pops!" the little girl named Anna cried. "Pops, can I activate the bridge?"

"Go ahead, Numa," Grandfather told her. She whooped and walked right to the edge of the canyon. Then, she knelt down and touched the lip of the rock. In a burst of light, a holo-bridge appeared and spanned across the gorge.

She gave a toothy grin, then began to skip across the structure.

Allura followed, trying not to look down through the transparent floor at the drop below.

The crossed the canyon and Grandfather deactivated the holo-bridge.

"We're almost there," he said. "Would you like one of us to carry your friend? Surely you're tired."

"I can manage," Allura replied pointedly. She _was_ tired, but she wasn't entirely sure she could trust these people yet. "Grandfather," she said. "May I ask how you found us?"

"We saw your ship crash a few days ago," the old man told her. "We've been sending out search parties since that morning, and we almost gave up on you. Thankfully you were heading in the right direction." He winked at her.

"I see," Allura relaxed a bit, but her fingers still brushed against the snake tooth in her belt every now and again.

(O)

Keith knew a long time had passed when he awoke. His thoughts were cloudy and his chest ached with every breath, but somehow he knew that several days had passed since he fell asleep on Allura's back.

He delicately pushed himself to his elbows and gazed at his surroundings. The walls of a cozy hut encompassed him, and he felt a soft bed of moss and leaves beneath him. The floor was dirt and the roof was made of thatched leaves. Bandages were tied around his chest, and his skin smelled like some sort of minty salve.

"Allura?" he called tentatively. When no one replied, he shakily got to his feet and walked for the open door.

A thriving village greeted him, made of little huts and a hodge-podge of aliens from all over the galaxy. Children played in the grassy roads, adults chatted idly amongst themselves and the elderly sat against fruit trees and watched the bustle.

"Keith!"

The Red Paladin turned and saw Allura walking towards him with another woman beside her. His breath caught in his throat.

She was wearing a dress made of tailored animal skin. It had been dyed white to match her freshly washed hair, and showed off her figure quite nicely without being revealing. Her hair was braided down her back with green ribbons, and he noticed her utility belt fastened around her waist.

"Keith, you shouldn't be walking around like this," Allura scolded. In her arms, she carried a basket of fruit.

"I'm fine," Keith grunted, tearing his eyes away from her.

"No you are not! Meena says that you need another three days of rest _at least_!" She passed her basket to the other woman and ushered him back into his hut.

"Allura," he protested as she pushed him back into bed.

"I'll not have another word out of you."


	6. Chapter 6

"That's odd, Keith and Allura should have been back by now," Coran remarked, stroking his mustache.

"It is weird," Hunk replied absently, stuffing green paste into his mouth. "Maybe they got stuck somewhere."

"I'll run a scan for their vessel," Coran followed, his hands tapping the ship console.

"I'm sure they're _fine_ ," Lance dismissed, but the expression on his face betrayed his nonchalant tone. In truth, he was worried about the two. Alone. Together. Who knows what could happen? He shook his head to dismiss the disturbing thoughts of possible romance.

"Oh dear," Coran murmured as the computer finished charting Allura's course. "This is very, _very_ bad. Their signal disappeared as they passed through the Loris system."

"What does that mean?" Hunk asked around another mouthful of mush.

"That's where planet Selva is," Coran cried. "Thousands of ships have gone missing on that world, and almost no one returns! There's only been _one_ case of a survivor, and even then he was so traumatized that they couldn't get the story out of him!"

"Well, let's go after them!" Lance lurched to his feet. "We'll form Voltron and kick that creepy planet's butt!"

"We can't. The Red Lion doesn't have a pilot," Shiro remarked from the corner. He'd been quiet this whole time.

"Oh, right." Lance deflated slightly. "We still have to rescue them!"

"We can try," Coran said weakly. He didn't mention to the Paladins that he'd lost one of his best friends to that world. He knew how efficient a killer Selva was, and he knew how slim chances of survival were if you found yourself on its surface. "We can try."

(O)

Keith healed within the week—far faster than he normally would—and he and Allura were already becoming a part of the village of Sanctuary.

Life there was strangely mundane to both of them, having lived a life of tense adventure and glorious combat, and the first few days Allura and the Red Paladin were uncomfortable with the change. At first, they helped with chores and assisted in gathering food purely out of gratitude for the hospitality they had received. Soon, however, it turned into a sense of responsibility. Once, Keith was invited to go and hunt for the village, a skill that he had never done but was secretly eager to learn, while Allura remained behind and watched the children. Now and again she would catch herself imagining her own offspring playing on the floor with the other young children, away from the war and the suffering in the galaxy.

They would be safe here, within the boundaries of the sacred river. The forest would provide them with whatever they needed. The people of Sanctuary would teach them what they needed to know….

"Allura," Keith said one evening. "Can I talk to you?"

"Anything," Allura told him, shaking her head to clear her thoughts. He sat down on the floor and leaned his back against the wooden wall.

"I've…been thinking," he began slowly. His slender fingers toyed with his new clothes, picking at the hem and prodding the seams. "What if…Coran and the others…aren't coming for us?"

"Why would you say something like that?" Allura cried. "Of course they'll come for us! The Castle needs me to function properly they can't form Voltron without you!"

"I'm just being realistic," Keith pressed. "It's been a week and there's no sign of them."

"Perhaps they were delayed by the Galra," Allura countered. Keith bit his lip and glared down at the floor.

"If that's the case, we can't do anything to help them,"

A heavy moment of silence passed before Allura rose and went to sit beside the Red Paladin on the floor.

"Then we need a plan," she said quietly. Keith nodded, turning his head to gaze at her. The skin of her shoulder was impossibly warm and soft against his. He could smell her scent from where he sat.

"Got anything in mind?" he murmured.

"I think that we should do our best to be happy here…" Allura began. Her voice choked up and she turned her head away. "Just in case Zarkon…did something awful to them."

"I agree," Keith remarked. "We should try to make a life here in case we can't go back to our old one. Just for now, though."

Allura's shoulders began to shake.

"They're my _family_ , Keith," the princess sniffled. "I can't lose them like I lost Altea."

"I'm sure that they're alright," Keith told her gently. He'd never dealt with a crying woman before and was not sure how to react. "And if the worst happens…you have me. Right?"

Allura turned and gazed up at him with puffy blue eyes. Tears dribbled down her tanned cheeks, and she gave a halfhearted smile.

"I suppose I do."

Keith stiffened as she snuggled close to him, sliding her arms around his waist and resting her head in the crook of his neck. After a moment, he put his arm around her and hugged her close.

"They'll come for us," he assured, making a wimpy attempt at optimism. "One way or another…they will."

(O)

Allura repeated Keith's words in her mind like mantra, but as the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months, hope grew more difficult to sustain.

After nine such months, the princess of Altea and the Red Paladin concluded that Zarkon had prevailed over Voltron; the galaxy was doomed, they were trapped on Selva, and the only ones they could call family had been executed by the Galra.

There were many long nights of tears that were consoled by tender embraces and gentle words of assurance. Until then, Allura had never seen Keith cry openly, and witnessing his cool composure falter wrenched her heart in her chest every time she saw it.

A bond formed between them, one so powerful that they could scarcely be separated from one another. Whenever one left to join the village hunting party, the other remained behind with a feeling of nervous anxiety. When one went to gather food outside of Sanctuary, their counterpart turned moody and secluded.

Thankfully, the people of the village made up for what Allura and Keith had lost. There was no trace of a bias or a class struggle; everyone shared what they had and taught what they knew. Each member had equal opportunities, no matter their gender, belief or—in some cases—sexual alignment. Arguments that rose up were quickly settled by rationality. A generous barter system was used in place of currency. Politics were nowhere to be found.

The secret to this utopia lay in the simple fact that they did not have any other choice. If they became divided as a people or let themselves fall into disarray, Selva would destroy them in their weakness.

"How is it that your people cooperate so well?" Allura asked one evening. The people of Sanctuary had gathered for the evening meal. "Never in my life have I seen a settlement as…well… _perfect_ as yours."

A chuckle rippled through the people.

"It wasn't always this way," Grandfather answered. "About sixty years ago, a young hunter named Briggs thought that Sanctuary should elect a government. He wanted to control our resources, moderate our gain and eventually claim lordship over the land around us. Unfortunately, nearly half of the village agreed with them, and we became divided. Fights broke out in the streets almost every day. Brothers turned against brothers, sisters mistreated sisters. Until one night, a man was found murdered in his home. We did not find who the culprit was, for within the hour the sacred river lost its power."

Allura's eyes went wide, her fingers tightening around Keith's.

"The Beast got into the village," he said softly, squeezing her hand in reply.

A reverent murmur of affirmation flowed through the congregation.

"Only thirteen of us survived." Grandfather's voice took on a mournful tone. "Thirteen of us who had fought for the cause of peace."

"That's impossible," Allura snorted. "How can a natural geographical barrier lose its function because people stopped getting along?"

The people of the village chuckled at Allura's comment.

"Selva is alive, Allura," a Xackxite woman smiled, her four golden eyes glowing in the firelight. Keith recalled her name being Khara. "She watches over her people like we watch over our children. And when our children misbehave, we reprimand them."

"I suppose that makes sense, but we don't send a creature of darkness to slaughter them!" Allura cried.

Khara and the people laughed once more.

"No, I suppose not." The Fillia known as her husband gave a toothy grin. The crest of colored spines on the top of his head lifted in amusement, and his three slender fingers fiddled with his garments.

"There is no denying the river's power," Grandfather continued. "But Selva is a wild place, one of the few left in the galaxy. From what we have learned, she wants to keep it that way."

(O)

The village dispersed to their homes and at some point, Allura lost track of Keith. She didn't mind much; their huts were constructed close together and he would come say goodnight to her at some point.

But, as she paused at the door of her home, she glanced out across the road. Milesh, a Ridarian woman, was standing near the wall of her hut. Between her and the side of the house was the Red Paladin.

They were speaking in hushed tones, and Allura couldn't see Keith's expression clearly.

 _They're simply having a midnight conversation_. Allura told herself. _They are good friends after all_.

But when Milesh leaned forward and smashed her face against Keith's in an ugly gesture of affection, Allura found that she couldn't convince herself they were simply swapping friendly banter.

She whipped around, dashed into her hut and shut the door. A whirlwind of emotion flared up in her chest; her heart throbbed, her throat closed up and her mouth felt as dry as sand. She found that it was difficult to breathe.

 _Why do I feel so…._

She slid to the ground and choked back a sob.

 _Is it jealousy?_

Tears were pooling on the edge of her eyelids

 _Am I angry?_

She couldn't stop them from spilling down her cheeks and falling onto the soft ground. She buried her face in her hands to stave off the watery onslaught.

In truth, she didn't feel any emotions at all. In fact, her thoughts were oddly clear. Keith had feelings for another woman. There was no romantic substance between him and the princess. So why was Allura so upset?

It was as if her own body had betrayed her.

The door snapped open and the Red Paladin burst in.

"Allura! You've got to hide me! Allura?" his eyes fell on the weeping princess. Instantly he was kneeling beside her, reaching out to hug her, but her disobedient body shied away from his touch.

He flinched as if she had slapped him. Never in their time on Selva had she refused his embrace.

"Allura, what's wrong?" he asked, genuinely concerned and a bit alarmed.

"I…I am n-not sure," Allura sobbed.

"Oh," Keith blinked, racking his brains for the cause of her tears. Finding nothing, he decided to pry. "Are you sure? You aren't usually like this."

"Y-y-you kissed Milesh!" she choked out. She didn't think before she spoke. It just fell out of her mouth.

Keith's eyes widened and his lip curled.

"You saw that?" he said softly.

"Yes! A-and n-now I'm bawling l-like a child f-f-for no reason at all!" she cried. She sniffled and wiped her runny nose on her arm.

Keith was silent for a long, long while.

"Are you sure there isn't a reason?" he almost whispered.

"I t-thought we _had_ something, Keith!" Allura replied bitterly. "All that time we spent together? The battles against the Galra? Crashing on this stupid planet together and fighting so hard to survive, only to end up stuck here forever because our friends are dead and there's no way off this backwater world! You are all I have left, Keith! And this whole thing is just stupid because I don't know why I'm so upset in the first place!" Her rant expired, she bowed her head and quietly wept into her hands.

Keith sat there, stunned.

"Allura," he murmured.

"Don't even _look_ at me," she hissed through her tears.

"Alright, I won't," he said, covering his eyes with his hands. "But give me a chance to explain."

"What _is_ there to explain?" the princess sobbed.

"I have no idea what you saw or heard, but _she_ kissed _me_ ," the Red Paladin told her. "Without my permission, might I add. She's been following me around for weeks, trying to get me to date her. I didn't think much of it until just now, because I don't like the idea of forming a relationship with someone I don't already trust, but I want you to know that I'm not in love with her or whatever."

Allura looked up at him, an odd expression on her face.

"W-what?" she squeaked.

"I don't even _like_ her all that much. She's annoying." Keith gave a snort. "I'm just trying to be polite because I don't want a crazy monster busting into the village and eating me in my sleep."

Suddenly Allura frowned.

"Then you caused me to have meltdown for no reason?" she narrowed her eyes at him. Keith peeked out from behind his fingers.

"Again with the 'no reason' thing," he huffed. Allura blushed furiously and prepared to punch him, but paused when the Red Paladin spoke fourteen words that would change her life forever.

"If I'm being honest…I would rather kiss you than anyone else here."

The princess stared at him, only interrupting her gaze to wipe her face. Her heart began to beat very fast in her chest, and she wondered if he was simply complimenting her or inviting her to seal their intimacy with a gesture of affection.

"I…I see," Allura finally gasped, wiping her eyes with the heel of her palm. "Well...s-sorry I'm not a bit more presentable."

"I-it's fine," Keith said tightly. "So…uh…should we…um…."

"I mean…if you want to…."

"We don't _have_ to," the Red Paladin said. His face was nearly the same color as the plates on his lion. "Don't get me wrong, I _want_ to…but only if _you_ want to…."

"Yes, I would…like that," Allura whispered. "But I'm afraid I'm rather inexperienced."

"Well," Keith wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. His eyes kept flickering across the room. "We…have to get closer."

"How did you figure _that_ out?" Allura quipped. Keith chuckled and some of the awkwardness in the room dissolved.

He leaned nearer to her, until he could feel her breath on his face. Allura reached out and laid her fingers against his cheek. His skin was sandpapery where the evening shade of stubble lined his jaw.

"Keith," she whispered as she felt the tip of his nose brush the curve of her cheek. "Does this make us… _sweethearts_?"

Keith smiled faintly, humming in contemplation.

"We'll think about that later."


End file.
